Patrick

So far im really enjoying this series, we have some really good acting performances from the Bell family, surprisingly with the Eli kid too, that made them feel like a genuine family whose gone through some pretty emotional turmoil. This drug-dealing element in a coming-of-age story for Eli is pretty interesting and a nice way to bring tension into this narrative. The use of lighting and camera’s panning towards or zooming into characters or important events is working well for this episode, easily building up tension in moments like Frances’ withdrawal, the tunnel scene, and the drug business-meeting. It's pretty clear themes of familial love, and perseverance in the face of turmoil will be key to this narrative, seeing how far Lyle is going for the Bell family with this drug-peddling work (especially with how integrated Lyle's become into the hierarchy of this society), and what Eli might do too (Bich Dang drug-work?) to give his mother a better life.

The opening good me hooked into the show: the ominous music and harsh yellow lighting on this scared family as Lyle, beaten and bruised, apologies to his partner Frankie and gets dragged into a van by some strange men. Really good at setting the stage for the intense, crime-ridden future of this narrative.

The episode then transitions to 6 weeks prior, taking us into the life of the Bell family and establishing their characters and relationships. So far i’m liking the protagonist Eli, he’s a head-strong, spunky kid who deeply cares and worries about his mother, and is concerned about her being with Lyle because of his drug-peddling work. It’s clear he has a lot of admiration for this “Slim” figure who was arrested for a taxi-driver murder, it feels like he’s naively holding onto the notion that Slim was innocent because of his mom saying so. The prisoner pen-pal Alex is another clear influence, wondering how this “stay outta it” prisoner’s code and his other advice is gonna turn out for Eli in the future after it seemingly built a friendship between him and the Darren kid.

Also, I’m praying for that teacher’s downfall. Hoping Eli somehow gets payback against him after that disgusting, humiliating cane whipping he did to Eli, and the future shit he’s likely to pull against Eli too seeing how the teacher just completely wrote off Eli’s side and categorized him as a fucked kid. He was a stark contrast to the guidance counselor that talked to Gus, Poppy Birkbeck. She genuinely tried to connect with Gus and understand his worldview, knowing how bright Gus is and trying to get Gus to communicate with her and expose himself.

And there’s his mute, intelligent brother, Gus, who stopped speaking at seven (I’m guessing it’s about his mom’s addiction / his father who Frances separated from) and has an ability to write what happens in the future (“your end is a dead blue wren???”). I’m looking forward to seeing more of Gus, and that art-piece he drew during the counselor scene feels to me like he wants to escape his current situation.

There were some really emotional performances with the Bell family here, especially learning about France's drug addict past. Such painful scenes to watch that really made me feel for Frances, and her children. Watching how Frances was breaking down, screaming, begging for an escape during her withdrawal, after she got hooked on the drug Lyle was selling was really heart-wrenching and uncomfortable. Seeing her in this filthy, miserable state on a worn-down mattress with food and ripped apart items everywhere, with Eli’s music coming into the scene was hard to sit through; I’m glad we got to see her come through the worst of it and reunite with her family.

The scene towards the end was heart-warming between Eli and Lyle too. Although Lyle clearly is doing fucked up things with this drug-work, it’s clear he cares about Lyle and wants to a better life for them. And I was happy to see Lyle comfort Eli and reassure Eli that he’s a good caring person. Seeing an actual moment of connection between the two was a nice change of pace, Eli was basically disgusted with him before that. It’s sad that Eli now wants to be involved in the drug-work after that moment and sneaking into Lyle’s meeting with the Asian woman, he clearly shouldn’t go down that path but I could see him doing it to help out his mother.

That motorcycle at the end we saw in the opening is a concerning omen, looks like things are progressing downhill already for the Bell family. I’m also looking forward to seeing more about the mystery surrounding Eli’s father, the truth behind Slim’s crime, and more about the Vietnamese kid of the drug-lord Bich Dang that Lyle worked with (feel like Eli and Darren are gonna have an interesting relationship going forward). Also that mysterious phone man who seems to know about Eli and Lyle’s drug situation (Ivan Krolle, the motorcycle guy who kidnapped Lyle?).

This was one joyride of an episode. I really enjoy shonen anime that deal with darker themes and Chainsaw Man definitely fills that bill.
I'm already interested in the main protagonist, Denji, who simply wanted to live an happy, normal life, but was dealt a bad hand due to his father being indebted to the Yakuza and leaving that burden to him after committing suicide. Denji feels so relatable in such a short amount of time, his life situation is awful but he's just trying to make the best out of it and care for those he loves (Pachito).

It's looking like Yazuka boss-man is not gonna be playing a big role in the story anymore, I assumed there would be a weird father-son dynamic between him an Denji since he's the only adult figure in his life, but i guess he''s just an episode of the week villain.

I liked the relationship between Denji and his devil pet Pachito. I'm only a few scenes the anime seamlessly communicated the deep connection they had, with both Denji and Pachito being abandoned, damaged people wishing for something better and someone to care about them. And seeing how Pachito basically gave up his body for Denji to save him, asking for nothing in return, really cemented the strong bond between the two.

I'm also looking forward to seeing more of the Makima character, and her organization of devil hunters. She has a mysterious aura to her which I can't wait to see unpacked.

And of course, the animation for this episode was beautifully done. The fighting choreography between Denji and the Zombie Devil was so fluid and expressive, and the CGI was used fairly seamlessly within the sequence. And even for less eventful moments like Denji transforming back to human form was animated so cleanly. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the animation quality.

Also the op is a banger.

Terrifying, anxiety-inducing, stressful. The word's barely start capturing the experience of this episode. Evan Peters did a fantastic job capturing the eeriness of Jeffrey Dahmer, with the lifeless expressions, slows body movements, weirdly pitched voiced, and clam demeanor contrasting the terrifying aura he gives off. The opening shot with Dahmer, seeing his clear blood off his knife and gloves in his room, with dull yellow and green lights shining the apartment, really effectively established Dahmer as a ominous figure.

And later on, when Dahmer brought the dude to his apartment, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, worried that at any second, Dahmer would kill the stranger. Watching the stranger quickly realize something was off with Dahmer, and seeing how Dahmer would grow more aggressive, threatening the stranger with murder if he didn't comply was so intense and worrying.

The set design of Dahmer's apartment played a big role in adding to this eerie atmosphere, with ominious drugs and metal tools scattered around the apartment room, just barely hidden from view until you're fully in the room. And hearing the stranger odor described by the neighbor as constantly coming from his room, with Dahmer clearly making up excuses as it what it's from, really made Dahmer seem like a murderer. The calm nature in which he described it too, clearly showed it wasn't Dahmer's first time trying to cover up his murders.

Man, it was such a relief that the black dude escaped Dahmer, I was kinda worried something would happen when he met the police (given how the first scene with the black neighbor highlighted how ever-present issues of racist violent was in the country), but luckily the show didn't go that route for him.

I really felt bad for the father of Jeffrey Dahmer, with him having to hear all the gruesome crimes the son that he raised commuted, being forced to deal with the reality that his kid is a serial murderer. Watching him alone, breaking down into tears while accepting what his son had become, was heart-breaking. I couldn't begin to imagine how I'd feel as a parent if my child turned out like Jeffrey Dahmer.

I'm surprised the episode started here, with Dahmer being arrested and taken into custody, I'm looking forward to seeing how the show handles the court hearings and possible his life in prison. So far I;m fairly invested in all the characters that have been introduced.

A solid ending to the season.

It was painful watching Rudeus sink into depression after Eris left him behind, seeing Rudeus lay dormant, refusing to move after losing someone he loved was painful. It was the same feeling as past life, where after he became depressed from the intense bullying he chose to reject the help of others who cared for him and wanted him to get through it and decided to stay alone, closed-off, in his room. Rudeus was feeling like he couldn't change as a person, he was still the same guy who decided to avoid confronting his issues by staying holed up in his room in his mind. But this was just in his head, it's clear how much he's grown as a person, with him fighting for others he cares about, and now Rudeus has the strength to "wake up and take a step," and protect the ones he cares for again, with his mission now being to search for Zenith. The way the show paralleled his current emotional state with his life back in Japan was really well executed, and seeing Rudeus walk out of his room was a perfect way of conveying him trying to move on from his depressive state.

It was also nice seeing what everyone else was up too. With Eris going on her own adventure with Ghislaine to muster the strength to protect Rudeus and others she cares for, rather than being someone who relies on their strength for protection. With how helpless she was when Orsted nearly killed Rudeus, she now have a stronger drive to become someone who could prevent that situation, with Eris now having the desire to defeat Dragon God Orsted.

The journey Ruijerd is going on is also really enjoyable, with his slowly and effectively improving the reputation of the Sperds as he helps local adventurers. It's really sweet seeing others no longer tremble in fear when they meet a Sperd, and I'm so happy the Ruijerd is finally getting close to completing this mission he's spent centuries hopelessly progressing in.

I'm also looking forward to Roxy's adventure as she searches for Zenith with her party, as she now knows the general location of Zenith thanks to Kishiraku, and knows that everyone else is safe in the Greyrat family. Speaking of the Greyrats, the reunion between Paul and Norn, and Lilia and Aisha was really heart-warming, with Paul finally getting some hope knowing that most of his family is alive and safe. Now all they have left is the search for Zenith.

Also, I'm going to enjoy the side adventures of Geese and that old party team as they go their separate ways.

A powerful episode of Mushoku Tensei, with Dead End finally reaching Fittoa.

I really liked the closure this episode gave Ruijerd's character, with him finally knowing for sure that his and Rudeus' efforts weren't in vain, the curse from Laplace was lifting and people were starting to view the Sperds in a positive light. For Ruijerd, whose spent centuries hopelessly trying to purify the Sperd name after it was unfairly tainted, knowing that Rudeus helped him take the first step towards change for the Sperd's reputation must've felt amazing. Him crying as he learned about the effects of their efforts, and his gratitude towards Rudeus helping him was beautifully done.

Regarding Rudeus, it's clear the traumatic effects of all the deaths he's seen and experienced during his adventure has taken a toll on him mentally, with his dreams of life before the cataclysm being painted with blood. And him feeling like everyone he loved was leaving him behind, leaving Rudeus all alone. Especially when he returned back to his homeland, it looked barren and deserted, as if nothing from his previous life there ever existed, with many of his loved ones no where to be seen.

Regarding Eris, this was definitely a tough episode for her. With Eris being forced to take on the burden that her parents are dead, and her grandfather was executed for the cataclysm, she no longer has her family. Hearing her weep alone, taking in all these emotions at once was painful, with her now being forced to accept that her life can never go back to a sense of normalcy. Everything is so sudden for her, and now she feels like she has to grow up and become stronger on her own so she doesn't just rely on the new family she's formed with Rudeus. That's why she decided to leave him behind and go on her own personal journey with Ghislaine, so she can mature and become stronger by herself and not just be a crutch for Rudeus.

Regarding Rudeus relationship with Eris. It's clear what he wanted all along from her was a human connection, not just his desire to sleep with her. After everything they've been through together during this adventure, all he truly cared about was the bond they built with each-other. And both the sex scene and Eris leaving embodies this feeling, with the sex scene being very intimate, awkward, but feeling heart-felt, like they sincerely cared for and loved each-other, rather than being this hyper-sexualized moment. And Eris leaving him the next day, saying she has to leave because their relationship was unbalanced, was heart-breaking for them. After that intimate moment which represented how close they've become with each-other, Rudeus now has it all stripped away from him. The last semblence of a human connection and the person he cared deeply about has abandoned him, and now he's all alone. Him crying, wandering down Fittoa as all of these emotions hit him was a powerful scene, perfectly capturing this feeling of abandonment and pain from losing a loved one.

I'm glad we finally learned more about Roxy's backstory, and why she abandoned the village. Roxy has always felt like an independent and closed-off character, and now we finally learn that it's because she felt like an outsider amongst her own community. Feeling like she was just a nuisance for her family, and feeling disconnected from the people for not being able to communicate in their native way, she fled to live on her own, running away from her family to avoid dealing with those feelings of alienation.

While yes her not being able to communicate natively made life difficult for her and her family, it's clear that her parents loved her and wanted her to stay with them, with them begging that she come back another day. And man, was the reunion tear-jerking with Roxy realizing just how much they've missed their daughter, seeing the mementos they kept of her, and the tears rolling down her mother's face, and then Roxy hugged her parents with open arms. Although it must suck for her parents knowing she has to leave again, I'm glad Roxy finally made up with her parents. Can't wait to see her and the gang's adventures in the Demon Continent as they search for more party members.

Another amazing episode exploring the Rudeus and Paul relationship. I'm glad Geese was there to let Paul know he was being too hard on his son, that the fact Rudeus managed to survive the Demon Continent and protect Eris was already too much to handle, there was no way he could deal with searching for his family (which he didn't even know were gone) on top of that. It's Paul has been traumatized by losing almost all of his loved ones with no hope in finding them, but that doesn't justify him taking out anger on his son, who couldn't relate to his situation. Geese brought up a good point: shouldn't you just be happy Rudeus is alive and healthy, would you rather him being a dead-eyed kid with parts missing?
I'm glad Paul took steps to make up with Rudeus rather than leaving their relationship a broken mess, owning up to your mistakes and making strides to fix them is highly respectable and I'm glad he initiated fixing their relationship. And Rudeus too, I'm glad he after that mess accepted Paul in open arms, after realizing he was the same as Paul in his previous life, but unlike Paul, he never took the first step towards mending the relationship. I'm glad they now have a patched father-son relationship and have moved on from the squabble.
Hopefully the lasting impression Norn has of Rudeus isn't of him assaulting her dad though, I hope things will become better between the two later on.
Also, it was cute seeing Eris be overly protective of Rudeus from his father, after seeing how miserable he made Rudeus feel. It just goes to show how much Eris now cares about Rudeus after spending years with him. About Eris, I am worried how she'll react when she realized her grandfather is dead and her other family is missing. Also, seeing Ruijerd be the sensible in the whole situation was pleasant as well.

Today's episode was brutal to watch, with the reunion of Paul and Rudeus really going haywire. Although I understand why Paul would be so upset with Rudeus seemingly "goofing off adventuring with a cute girl," while he was struggling for over a year to find any trace of his family who disappeared during the mana cataclysm (minus Norn), it's still pretty shitty of him to pin blame on Rudeus, who was on his own in an unknown continent, struggling day after day to help Eris come back home to her family. I feel bad for Rudeus, who know feels like complete trash after learning that his family has disappeared for nearly 2 years without him knowing with him doing absolutely nothing (tbf he couldn't known) to help in the search. Hopefully things between Paul and Rudeus patch up, but man is it looking rough with how disgusted Paul became at the sight of his own son, even attacking him because he casually mocked him while having no awareness of the scale of the mana cataclysm. At least things ended on a bittersweet note with Eris comforting Rudeus as he sat in bed, feeling miserable about everything.

Also, regarding the animation, I really liked the fight between Paul and Rudeus (before they learned their identities), the drunken, animalistic fighting style Paul adopted really showed how rough things have been in his psyche, with him losing a sense of his humanity as he's hopelessly searched for any of his other family members. It perfectly showed how hardened he's become after the cataclysm event. Also, the way Rudeus easily defeated Paul during the second fight, perfectly reacting to his predicted movements, perfectly conveyed how much stronger Rudeus has become since their last meeting.

Another enjoyable episode. I liked seeing how Roxy's group was fairing as they searched for Paul's family. The group's dynamic is fun to watch with the perverted mage, big oaf, and Roxy all bouncing off of each-other. Hopefully they'll make some progress on their search, and hopefully we'll see a meet-up between Roxy and Rudeus soon. It was cute seeing Roxy feel embarrassed over talking about her dream man, hopefully we'll more funny moments like that with their gang. Also, I really want to know what Paul did to make the former party members hate him.

Regarding the main cast, its looking like things are going swimmingly (at first) for them. With the smuggling plan being a success and the gang now one step closer to Eris' homeland. Speaking of the homeland, I'm curious about the currently political relations of the Boreas family after this mana storm.

Man, it sucks that Rudeus keeps forcing Ruijerd to commit all the bloodshed for their goals, hopefully it wont tarnish the Sperd name again but we'll just have to wait and see. It's clear that Rudeus values human life too much to strip it from someone, but by allowing Ruijerd to commit it for their goals, he's just as complacent in the people's deaths.

Regarding the children and dog he saved, I'm looking forward to learning more about the Sea Beast people, and seeing whats gonna happen to Rudeus after he's been kidnapped (after being mistaken for a smuggler).

A solid start to the new cour. I'm enjoying seeing the Dead End party work together more, rather than Rudeus take on everything on his own. But of course, after they hit another dead end with no other "ethical" options, Rudeus decided to sacrifice something precious to him so that the team could gather the necessary funds for boat travel. Although I'm glad Rudeus is being more considerate of how Ruijerd would feel about his actions, man does it hurt knowing he feels as if he can't let him know about his plans. The confrontation between Rudeus and Ruijerd was tough to see, with Ruijerd in pain, wondering why, after a year of him sticking with me despite how difficult it is, does he still not trust me. And, while I'm glad they made up, it sucks that Ruijerd is being forced to bend on his moral principles for the sake of getting Eris and Rudeus home, with him agreeing to Rudeus' smuggling plan so that he doesn't have to sell off a precious gift from Eris.

Also, I'm liking the new Demon Lord girl Kishirika, hopefully we'll get to see more of her eccentric personality as the season goes on. And I'm looking forward to seeing how Rudeus' new demon eye of foresight will help him in this adventure.

Regarding the demon eye, it sucks for Eris that now, after all of her hard work to master sword-fighting, Rudeus has essentially gotten a cheat code and became better than her. It must suck suddenly feeling useless after your only advantage had become null before your very eyes. And its weird that Rudeus feels proud of himself for beating Eris by getting a new skill by pure chance (-ish since Man-God told him to go down the alley).

Also, I'm really wondering when this Man-God will play a bigger role in the story, rather than just being the advice guy for Rudeus when he's hit a roadblock.

Also, this episode teased us so much with the Roxy and Rudeus reunion, I'm just praying it happens soon.

And, I'm looking forward to seeing what's so special about this Gallus Cleaner guy that was just introduced.

This was a solid ending to the first cour, with the Dead End party finally acting like a real team, rather than having Rudeus bear all the decision making.

Man this episode was brutal for Rudeus, he was facing failure after failure, from letting a kid die because of him trying to maximize the situation for the Sperds reputation, to being to late to save the other guy from the dragon, to finally being caught by horse-guy and now being threatened with their licenses. And it all culminated in Rudeus nearly giving up and resorting to killing anyone whose in his way, so that he could take Eris home safely. If anything, you can't say he doesn't have resolve, but man I'm glad he didn't go down that dark path (which Ruijerd almost stayed on). Although it sucks for Ruijerd, I'm glad he stepped up and revealed himself to protect his companions.

Regarding Ruijerd and Rudeus' relationship, although things were pretty rough for a while, as Rudeus; idea of taking all the decisions on his own started conflicting with Ruijerd's moral principles of protecting children, I'm glad they eventually patched things up (with Ruijerd now viewing him as a warrior who'd do anything to protect those he cares about). Now they're going to work together as partners in the Dead End party in a new city.

Also, back to the Paul family, I'm looking forward to seeing him on his solo mission to search for Lilia, Zenith, and his daughter, and (though questionable of a father to his 10 yr old), I'm glad he had faith in Rudeus to survive on his own and return home. Also, I'm looking forward to see Roxy travel with Paul's old adventurer team as they search for his old family.

I'd also like to have updates on Ghislaine and Sylphette's status, given that they're in the main cast I hope they aren't dead.

Also man was the animation astoundingly beautiful during the monster battle scenes, everything from the camera work to the choreography--between Rudy's magic, Ruijerd's brute strength, and Eris' swordfighting--and the dynamic and fluid animation were all top notch and a blessing to my eyes.

Another enjoyable episode, I love seeing Ruijerd, Rudy, and Eris travel across the Demon Continent, as Rudeus tries improving the Sperd name, and as Ruijerd tries taking them home safe. Seeing how life looks like outside the Central Continent is nice too see; I'm glad the show created distinct designs for the different tribes amongst the demon race, rather than having them all draw as humanoid characters. And man, it looks like Eris has become very attached to Rudeus, with her brutally assaulting an adventurer who accidentally damaged her robe (gift of Rudeus).

Looks like things are mostly going well for Rudeus' group, with the disguise hiding Ruijerd's identity from the city, and with them now having a consistent source of revenue with the adventurer's guild.

And man, there was some intense internal conflict within Rudeus' party this episode. With Ruijerd's black and white sense of morality, placing people as either innocent or evil, coming into cross hairs with Rudeus' more complex understanding of people, and the value of people's life regardless of their morality, after Ruijerd killed the animal kidnapper because he kicked Rudeus. I understand why Ruijerd would have a simplistic view of morality, and the value of life dependent on that, given that he's grown up as a warrior who was back-stabbed by someone his people put faith in, and has been carrying the consequences of that moment for centuries, but man does it make him seem like a scary person. I just hope he learns to value others lives (of those he classifies as villains) a bit more, rather that thinking "evil is evil." And I hope the group doesn't fall apart because of his rigid view of people.

Also, with the Man-God moment, I wonder why he's so fascinated by Rudeus and is choosing to help him out through his adventure back home.

Man we got a lot of plot progression and lore building this episode. I'm really fascinated by this Laplace War, and how the "hero to the demons" who gained them rights from humans actually backstabbed them, giving them cursed spears which made them murderous beasts 400 years ago. And now, Ruijerd, who lived through that incident and the tarnished reputation of his face, is working hard as leader of the sperd warriors to fix their reputation (i.e saving children). Ruijerd really feels like a tragic hero, someone whose be carrying the weight of this tarshined name for centuries, and is hopelessly trying to change it. I'm looking forward to seeing his relationship with Rudeus and Eris as he takes them back to their homeland in the Central Continent. I'm glad Rudeus agreed to help out Ruijerd fix the Sperd name, it again goes to show how much he's grown as a person; I'm glad Roxy warmed up to him after that moment of intense fear towards a Sperd being next to her.

Also, it was nice learning more about Roxy's family of demons, seeing their village and customs was quite nice. And man, the fact that even Roxy warned against the Sperds, when Sperds live amongst her people, just goes to show how deeply rooted the fear against the Sperds runs.

And, about Rudeus. I'm hope he, and thus us, learn more about this Man-God figure whose supposedly on his side. And also the Demon-God who may've been the one to reincarnate Rudeus into this parallel world.

The animation as usual was well-done, especially during Ruijerd's reaction to Rudeus saying the Sperds caused their own demise. It perfectly captured the intense rage he felt towards Laplace for what he did to the Sperds.

It was really nice seeing how much the Boreas family has grown to care about Rudeus, seeing the effort they all put into his birthday celebration, particularly Eris, was really heart-warming to see. And now its looking like Eris is developing a romantic attraction to Rudeus too (5 year promise and bedtime incident). Although man, it's really hard to support a romance between Rudeus and Eris when you factor in the characters mental ages. And man, even ignoring that, Rudeus really needs to stop being so aggressively sexual with her.

Moreover, now that Rudeus has a new staff, I can't wait to see what kind of magic he'll be casting.

Also, regarding the Boreas family, I'm pretty interested in the political struggle amongst the Greyrats. With there being power struggles amongst the Boreas and the Notte Greyrats, and with Rudeus' existence in the Boreas family spelling trouble if made public. Also, its looking like Philip, who was fucked in the succession battle, may be planning a coup to gain power in the Greyrat bloodline. Man I can't wait to see how that develops later on.

Moreso on the Boreas family, I'm glad we finally learned why Hilda's been so passive-aggressive towards Rudeus. With her being mad over losing her own sons to Philip's brother due to family tradition after Philip lost a succession battle, and thus pinning her anger towards Rudeus, a son from a completely different family who gets to wander around her home. And I'm glad that she's now warmed up to Rudeus and accepted him as part of the family.

Also, it was nice finally seeing what Rudeus' family was up too, with Paul being forced to deal with monsters coming into the village, and with Sylph settling into the family and learning how to stick up for herself against bullies. I can't wait for the family reunion.

And, with the ending of today's episode, looks like this mana pool is spelling trouble for everyone. I wonder what's happened to Eris, Ghislaine, and Rudy, who've been zapped by a mana beam. Big ups on Rudeus for trying to protect Eris from it, just goes to show how much he's improved as a person. And I hope we get an answer as to a cause of the mana pool. Also. I hope all those new character showed breifly, Khis the Demon Emperor, Peregius and his soldier, and the white haired guy, get explored more later on. And, I wonder if Roxy may be planning to join up with the main cast after seeing a mana pool heading towards the kingdom Rudy's at.

The animation was pretty beautiful as Ghislaine went to battle the soldier guy, it was fluid, fast-paced, and highly detailed.

This was a nice episode overall. I'm glad to see Roxy and Rudeus are still keeping in touch and are supporting each-other, with Roxy giving Rudeus a study guide for the Demon-God language. It's nice to see a platonic male-female friendship in a show. And regarding Rudy studying foreign languages, it's nice seeing how fascinated he is by this new world, with him wanting to absorb and experience everything within it. It's a very relatable and realistic take towards the isekai premise.

Also, if last episode's sword-fighting was well-animated, today's was on another level. With the fast-paced, fluid animation capturing the level of Ghislaine and Roxy as they trained, with Roxy being near an advanced rank. And as usual, Rudeus is still struggling to keep up with them.

I also enjoyed seeing Eris training for her upcoming 10th birthday dance. It was nice seeing Rudy go out of his way to help her when it'd be of no necessity for his job, it just goes to show how much he cares about her and wants her to succeed. And with Rudy stepping in at the party to dance with her, it just further developed their closeness as friends (same with the wand gift).

Man, if I had one complaint about Rudy, it would be his perversion towards women, and his behavior because of it. I really hope the show at least acknowledges this as a character and has Rudy confront that aspect of himself.

It was nice seeing Rudeus, Eris, and Ghislaine interact with each other in this slower-paced episode where they just did tutoring, swordplay, and shopping. It was a nice way of reinforcing the character's personalities and how they play off with each other, and it showed how much Rudy has settled in to this new family, with Eris finally putting faith in him and being kinder towards him.

Although the tutoring sessions can be rough, it's nice seeing the progress that Eris, and even Ghislaine are making thanks to him.

Also, it's getting increasingly harder to ignore the perversion of Rudeus' character. Although I know a path towards self-improvement will have rough patches, it makes it harder for me to root for Rudeus' character growth in the show.

I liked the new lore this episode gave us regarding the Laplace demon and Pareguis, who defeated Laplace 400 years ago and supposedly lives in a floating kingdom. It's a nice touch to the story and I hope we'll get to see what life is like up there.

Also, I'm really curious about what life is like for Sylphette, now that she's alone back in the village.

The animation and fighting choreography is beautiful as usual. I liked seeing the swordplay between Rudy and Eris today. Not only was it well-animated, it also showed Eris isnt a slacker when it comes to stuff she's fascinated by.

I'm looking forward to seeing Rudy working as a tutor for lady Eris. Like last episode hinted, Rudeus and Sylph were growing too dependent on each-other and needed space to become more independent. Its nice Paul spotted this and took steps to help Rudy mature on his own, really goes to show he's trying to be a good parent. And big props for Rudy sticking it through as Eris was aggressively against the tutoring, and to him trying to save Eris from the kidnappers, it goes to show how much he's already changed as a person compared to his last life.

I like the Ghislaine character, a sword king and bodyguard for the Greyrats (cousins). I can't wait to see more of her and Rudy's relationship as they teach each other.

Also, regarding lady Eris, it's clear she's the proto-typical tsundere character, but she's already opened herself up to the main character after the kidnapping incident, now accepting Rudy as her tutor. Also, her non-reaction to the sight of dead men after Ghislaine saved her and Rudy hints at her likely going through some stuff throughout her life. In Rudy's case, seeing the bloodied dead men reminded Rudy of his "death" and mortality, making him fear what'll happen if he dies this time, if this is truly his last chance to become a better person.

And man, did this episode have some good animation during the fight scene. I love how well-animated the magic Rudy used was. And the combat techniques he employed to stun and attack his enemy showed how hard Rudy's been training to keep up with Roxy. And man, the way the camera panned over Ghislaine and she came in to rescue him, and the lighting change when she employed her sword style, was just way too beautiful.

Man this episode really put Paul's character through the wringer today. Paul has always been someone who appeared to be this upstanding man and father, but with today's episode revealing he cheated on Zenith and assaulted Lilia in the past, it's clear that he's a man with many faults. This does help him to feel more human as a character, especially that despite his clear character flaws, he's still trying to be a good man to his wife and kid (especially with him being honest about his affair first rather than forcing Lilia to reveal what Paul did). But man, it's going to be tough for him to regain the trust of his family after this, with everyone now viewing him in a worse light. I'm looking forward too seeing the new family dynamic after this incident, and I'm glad that (thanks to Rudy stepping up and saving Lilia) she gets to stay here with her child in a safe environment.

Regarding Rudeus and Sylphette, it's clear that they've forged a deep friendship over the 2 years, with neither one of them wanting to abandon the other (technically Rudy is just staying because Sylph would be lonely), with Rudy even willing to work for her tuition so they could go to magic university together. Although, as Paul implied and as Rudy acknowledged, there over-attachment on each other could easily become parasitic, with them not being allowed to develop as individuals. Although it was pretty brutal how, I'm glad Paul forced Rudy to leave the house for work, giving him a chance to develop self-reliance.

The friendship between Rudeus and Lilia is also pretty wholesome, with Lilia being more open to him about her life after he saved her, and with Lilia being hyper-aware of how emotionally mature and adult-like Rudeus is for a child.

Also, it's nice seeing that Roxy has become a king-class mage during her journey, and I'm glad that Roxy's progress and expectations is pushing Rudy to work harder (wanting to go to Ronoa Uni). I'm glad he has people like Roxy to push him to become a better person, even if she's no longer with him.

This episode was a lot slower paced compared to the last, but it was still very enjoyable to watch Rudeus exploring the village and its people.

This episode also fleshed out Paul's character a bit more, giving us insight into how he's trying to be a good father but is struggling to connect with his son at times because of how grown up he seems to be; Paul doesn't want to drive Rudeus to leave the house like he did because of a weak father-son relationship. The Paul and Rudy fight this episode perfectly captured this issue Paul's dealing with, with Paul jumping to conclusions about his son acting out since he hoped Rudy would behave more as a normal kid, but that unintentionally damaging his relationship with him. Though luckily Paul learned from his mistakes and is now taking greater strides in understanding Rudy (Sylph incident).

Moreover, I'm glad Rudeus is sticking to his personal goal of living a better life with him protecting a helpless kid (Sylph) from three bullies. It's just another way of showing how much he's changed as a person.

Regarding Sylphette, I really enjoyed seeing her and Rudeus bonding together. It was nice seeing Rudy make friends with his peers (in a sense), building relationships that could last him a lifetime. Also, about Sylph being bullied for looking like a Serg, when she was just a helpless girl, I feel like this is a subtle hint at the Sergs not being holistically beast-like people, but actually just regular people who've been defamed into a hated race (maybe she's part-Serg herself).

Also, about this show's music, I really enjoyed how that over-layed Rudeus exploring the village with the opening music, that was a nice way of combining the op with the story.

I really enjoyed how this episode showed how Rudues was dealing with the traumatic memories of his past life (intense bullying from classmates), and it really emphasized his desire to change as a person with this second chance. It's clear he's already doing way better than in his past life now that he has a family who cares about him and people supporting him in his desires.

This episode really captured how the feeling that everyone hates you and is judging you, even though that's far from the truth. Seeing Rudeus cope with this and overcome it added to how likeable and realistic he is as a character, as someone with relatable struggles throughout his life.

Moreoever, I really liked seeing Rudeus' progression in magic mastery as he got a grasp on this world's magic system. It felt (although quick) very natural to see his development over a year, and I can't wait to see how Rudeus will hold up in combat. Hopefully he'll be going to that magic university in the future and will hone his skills even more.

Roxy, although her time was short in this arc, was a nice addition to the story. I liked seeing her and Rudeus become closer, and seeing how much she's settled into the family and the village in such a short time. Hopefully we'll see more of her when she further develops her skills, and hopefully we'll learn more about her demon family later on in the series.

Regarding demons, the way Roxy (and the general populace presumably) talks about the Sergs (subsect of demon race who reportedly acted beast-like during the Laplace war) feels like they have a propagandist hatred and fear towards them. I doubt there would be a race that's just holistically evil and inhumane, and hopefully as the series continues the show will expand more on how they actually live and behave.

And, as usual, the animation was so beautiful this episode, particularly during Rudues' final examination from Roxy, where the camera panned around the scenery as he was executing his spell.

I loved this premiere episode. The animation and art style was so beautiful, giving off a children's fantasy story book feel with it's whimsical atmosphere. I especially loved the camera panning around Rudeus during his magic spells; because, those moments were just so well-animated.

Regarding the story, I'm looking forward to seeing Rudeus begin a redemption arc with this second chance at life. The feeling of believing that "if only you had another chance, you would avoid the mistakes you made in life" is very relatable, and I'm excited to see what Rudeus does with this second life.

Also, I'm glad that Rudeus' past life will actually be relevant to the story, both with his sense of determination to live a good life stemming from regrets during his past life, and with how traumatic memories from his past life are currently affecting him (with his aversion to going outside likely stemming from bad memories during his old life). For the progenitor of most isekais, this show surprisingly avoids the shitty tropes of most modern isekais.

I'm glad the show actually showed Rudeus progressing slowly into learning this new culture and world, and the magic system. Too many isekais just skip this aspect of living in a new world, and this slow progress shown by Mushoku really makes it feel like I'm on this journey with him, and makes Rudeus feel like a real person.

The magic system is interesting enough, with it being divided into different classes and levels of mastery. Although I doubt magic can be too powerful compared to swordsmanship given how sword-fighting isn't a dead practice in this world. I'm looking forward to seeing how fights between mages and swordsmen, and amongst mages of different classes are executed throughout the series.

I'm also liking the new characters we've been introduced to in this parallel world, hopefully Roxy and Rudeus' family are given more depth throughout the show, and don't just serve as character progression points for Rudeus.

The ending song was also nice listening too, again giving us the fantasy world feeling that permeates throughout this show.